Sliding door mounting



Feb. 5, 1952 w. HAAS 2,584,874

SLIDING DOOR MOUNTING Filed July 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l A'r'ronuzvs Feb. 5, 1952 w. HAAS SLIDING DOOR MOUNTING 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 vEN'roR I WILUAM HAAs a v Filed July 5, 1949 A-r-roa uevs Patented Feb. 5, 1952 SLIDING noon MOUNTING,

William Haas, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to John Widdicomb Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application July 5, 1949, Serial N 0. 103,153

7 Claims. (01. 1641-222) This invention relates to sliding doors and is more particularly concerned with the slidable mounting of such doors. The doors in. practice are located at the front of a case, cabinet, wardrobe or the like and are three in number, two end doors being mounted for slidable movement inthe same plane in the direction of the length of the cabinet, and an intermediate door likewise mounted for slidable movement in the direction of the length of the cabinet in a vertical plane back of'the plane of the end'doors- Suchdoors are mounted so that one-half of the length of the cabinet may be opened at any time desired, the combined width of the two front doors being equal to the width of the intermediate or middle slidable door. When either half of the front of the cabinet is wholly opened, such middle or intermediate door lies back of the two end front doors which, in such position, abut against each other adjacent the vertical edges.

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a novel, very practical, easily and noiselessly operated sliding door mounting which is economical to produce, readily fabricated, and by means of which either half of the front entrance to a wardrobe, cabinet or other like structure may be readily opened at anytime desired. In practice a somewhat elongated wardrobe for example may have a vertical partition midway between its endsto divide it into two compartments, each holding a different type of Wearing apparel, and either compartment may be completely opened at. the front when access.

to merchandise therein is wanted.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in, connedtion with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet or wardrobe equipped with the slidable doors and their mountings of my invention.

Fig. .2 is a fragmentary enlarged transverse vertical section,. substantially on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the directionindicated.

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary perspective view of the inter-engaging parts on the. ends of the end and intermediate doors, adjacent their lower edges.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section substantially on the plane of line 3-4 of Fig. 2 looking downwardly, with the doors indicated in a position in which one half of the front entrance of the cabinet is open.

Fig. 5 is a similar horizontal. sectionshowing the doors indicated in a positionbetween. the open position in Fig. 4 and one in which the doors are being moved to closed position. i

Fig. 6 is a horizontal line 66 of Fig. 2looking downwardly. V

Fig. 7 is a plan-view of the three doors'ln a position-like that indicated in'Fig. 5,. and

Fig. 8' is a" fragmentary enlarged perspective view showing the-upper end portions of an end and theintermediate door, the guides therefor at their upper edges, and the inter-engaging members carried respectively by said doors at their upper edgev portionsand adjacent vertical edges thereof. g

Like reference characters refer to like parts'in the difierent'figures of the drawings. a

. The cabinet or wardrobe shown hasahorizontal bottom I,. a horizontal top 2 above it, and vertical ends 3-, andin practice will-be-provided with a verticalback. Inset or inlaid in the upper side ofthe bottom l-- ashort distance back of its front edge. is afiat elongated glassor vitreous plate 4 (Figs.2-and 41)..

V Theopen rectangular front of thewardrobe or cabinet has threevertically positioneddoorstwo end doors iloeatedinthe same vertical plane and a middle or intermediate door 6 locatedin a, vertical plane backofthe doors 5. All ofthe doors at their loweredgesareequipped-with hard wood dowels; 1 with rounded lower ends which bear. against the upper side of the glass plate 4; The upper edges of the doors extend slightly above the lower side of. the,top 2. (Fig. 2): into a shallow recess 8 which is cut in the upper side of thetop at its front portion.

Allof the doors at their upper edges are pro: vided with longitudinal vertical slots 91 located substantially midway between the front and rear sides of such doors. Long bars or platesnlll. of fiat metal, spaced from-and paralleltg. each other are secured to the top Z'and extend a. distance below the .under. side thereof to enter theslots 9 of the doors .5v and. 6,.the frontfbar. mime). the

slots .9 of the front doors 5, and the rear. bar inthe slot. of the rear door The rear door. also at its lower edge Eandadjacentthe rear. side has a. like, longitudinal 'slot- Ijl extending, upwardly from its lower. e'dge 'into which a centrally .located.relatively narrow plate or finger |2,.also of flat. metal, extends," it being vertically positioned andpermanently secured at. its lower endto the bottom l. 'f

The reardoor. has a second. longitudinal, slot l3 spaced from and parallel to. the slot.j l.l. atits lower edgeandcloseto thefront side ofsuchrear door. At. th e ds. of. the. rear"v door a d .at its. und t edge a. member of flat imetalof L +sha'pe,' hav1ng a long l'eg fl 4 sprew connectedtoi thedconand a forwardly: extending short leg '15 't;i.ts: ,outerjend NT i OFFICE section on the plane of is positioned, so that the outer end of the member is flush with the associated vertical edge of the door 8. Such leg l extends across its associated slot 13.

At the rear side of each front door 5, close 5 to the bottom edge thereof and adjacent the inner vertical edge of each, a bracket made of flat metal is movably secured. Such bracket includes a vertical leg l6, integrally formed with vertical edge against the tongue l8 of the bracket of the right hand door 5 to move such bracket the distance permitted by the slots l9 longitudinally, so that at its end it will extend to the left a short distance beyond the left vertical edge of the right front door 5.

The doors in these movements are guided by bars l0 and tongue l2 in the several slots 9 and H while the tongues 18 in the slots I3 hold which is a horizontal flange l1, bent therefrom the doors h r an pr p rl spaced from a h and extending to the rear, the flange being 10- other at 1Bheil 10We1 edgesy are held P p cated in a plane slightly below the plane of t 1y spaced at their upper edges by the bars l0. lower edges of the doors 5 and 6. The flange i! The structure described is one which is very at the end thereof nearest the adjacent vertical desirable The hard wood dowels move noiseedge of th do 5 h an upturned tongue l3 l5 lessly and with substantially no friction on the The two tongues l8 enter the slot is in the interass plat s 4- Dust a d t r rt in th tmediate rear door 6 and a relatively movable tom of the case is easily removed. Such movetherein between the stops which are interposed ment is Very y and either e Of t ca n by the the legs l5 at the opposite end of said wardrobe or the like may be opened for the full slot IS. The vertical leg I6 has two horizontal half of the length of the cabinet for access to slots I, closed at both ends, th u h hi merchandise. The structure is economical, the screws 20 pass so that each bracket has a limited metal parts being light and it is easily fabricated horizontal movement with respect to the door 5 and attached in P on which it is mounted, within the limit pre- The invention is defined in the pp scribed by the length of the slots l9. claims and is to be considered comprehensive of At the front side and under edge portion of t all forms of structure coming within their scope. door 8 and adjacent each vertical edge thereof I elaimi a flat bar 2| is fixedly secured by screws (Fig. 8), The combination With a Cabinet having an and at its end at the vertical edge of such door it p v i side, of a closure h f r comis bent outwardly and in turn bent upon itself to prising, a sliding door, means for guiding the provide three thicknesses of the metal to make a upper edge of h door. a plate vi a fl h r forwardly extending tongue 22, Each fr m 1 upper surface located in the cabinet under the at its rear side and at its upper edge has an elondoor, a hearing member attached o e we gated flat bar 23 which extends the full width of t of the deer and av ng id a m nt the door and is fastened thereto, at each end havw th said flat ha d su and means apart ing a rearwardly extending tongue 24. The tw from said bearing member and hard surface for tongues 24 at the inner edges of the doors 5 are guiding Said lower D 0f the between the two" tongues 22 on bar 2| of th r 2. The elements of claim 1 in which said hard door 6, and the tongue 22 at one edge of the door surface is vitreous and said bearing member is 6 being between the tongues 24' at the opposite 40 of fibrous material and has end grain contact vertical ed es of one door 5. and the other tongue with said vitreous surface.

22 on the door 5 between the tongues 24 on the 3. The elements of claim 2 in which said fiother front door 5. brous material is wood.

With the doors closed as in Fig. 1, to move 4. The combination with a cabinet having an them for o ening the left hand end of the cabiopen vertical side, of a closure therefor comprisnet, to the doors in the position indicated in Fig. in g, two overlapping sliding doors in offset verti- 4. either the intermediate door or the left hand cal planes, means for guiding the upper edges of door 5 mav be moved to the right. If the intersaid doors, a plate having a flat hard upper surmediate door 8 is moved the engagement of the m face located in said cabinet under said doors, a tongue I 5 at the left edge of the rear door with bearing member attached to the lower part of the adjacent tongue l8 will move the door 5 with each door and each having sliding engagement door 8 until the door 8 has reached the position with said flat hard surface, means apart from shown in dash lines in Fig. 4. Thereafter the left said bearing members and hard surface and interdoor 5 may be moved to its final position to abut engaging between said cabinet and one of said against the other door 5, as in Fig. 4. The doors for guiding said one door and other means bracket having the le s I 6 and IT on the door 5 apart from said bearing members and said hard which has been moved will have been moved to surface and interengaging between both doors for the right beyond the inner vertical edge of the guiding said other door. door 5, but when the two doors 5 are brought into 5. The elements of claim 4 in which said flat abutting relation the ends of the two brackets of the two doors likewise will abut with each other, and the brackets be moved until the screws 20 are at the opposite ends of the slots Hi from that shown in Fig. 3, the outer ends of said brackets being flush with the adjacent edges of the doors 5.

In closing the doors, as in Fig. 5, movement of the open door 5 to the left will engage the tongue ll of its bracket with the adjacent tongue I5, pulling the bracket so that its end projects beyond the inner edge of the moving door 5 until the opposite ends of the slots I 9 are reached by the screws 20. Continued movement will move both the doors, both the left door 5 and the door 8, to closed position, the final movement of the 7 door 5 bri g the tongue ii at its right hand surface is vitreous and said bearing members are of fiberous material and have end grain contact with said vitreous surface.

6. The elements of claim 4 in which said guid- 5 ing means interengaging between both doors includes a member having a limited horizontal sliding connection with one of said doors, and a stop on the other door engageable with said slidable member whereby sliding movement of one door is transmitted in part to the other door.

'7. The combination with a cabinet having an open vertical side, of a closure therefor comprising two overlapping independently slidable doors I in offset vertical planes, means for supporting said doors for sliding movement, means apart from said supporting means and inter-engaging between said cabinet and one of said doors for guiding said one door, other means apart from said supporting means and inter-engaging between both doors for guiding the other door, said guiding means inter-engaging between both doors including a member having limited horizontal sliding connection with one door and a stop on the other door engageable with said sliding member whereby sliding movement of one door is transmitted in part to the other door.

- WILLIAM HAAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 10 Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Williams Nov. 9, 1869 Roebuck Sept. 20, 1892 Schmitt Jan. 14, 1913 Lapin Nov. 8, 1927 Hughes Sept. 9, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Sept. 20. 1939 

